HP's Autonomy Mishap: From High Expectations To High Anxiety

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Thirty-five days after the Autonomy deal was announced, HP's board of directors fired Apotheker and then hired board member Meg Whitman with a $16.5 million stock option package as the next HP CEO. Whitman said that at first glance the strategy the company took with Autonomy was right, but she pledged to review "strategic initiatives." Apotheker, meanwhile, was rewarded for his 11 months on the job with a $25.2 million severance package ($7.2 million in cash and $18 million in stock).